Programs are posted for a limited time, thanks to the generosity of our presenters. Please do not share these links!

FYI - scroll down to catch up with Genea-Breaks and past Club newsletters
Available until February 10, 2026
Watch the program here...

Download the handout...
Researching Your Revolutionary Ancestors 2026 marks the 250-year anniversary of America’s signing of the Declaration of Independence.  At the time of America’s independence, the population of the American colonies was about 2.5 million.  While 1776 is a pivotal year, the war for independence (the Revolutionary War) was fought from 1775-1783. About 200 thousand Americans served in the Patriots’ cause in some capacity. This presentation will provide a deep dive into discovering and researching your revolutionary ancestors. It will cover the top resources, strategies, websites, libraries, archives, and organizations for learning more about your ancestors at our nation’s founding. Resources and documents available at the National Archives, DAR, SAR, as well as state and local organizations will be included. The presentation will also reveal that many colonists did not support independence and supported the British/Tory cause. It is an exciting time to jump in and learn as much as you can about your revolutionary ancestors!  
Our presenter:  Scott Norrick’s passion is connecting people to their past. While providing a list of names, dates and places for ancestors is a start, Scott enjoys helping others discover the stories of triumphs and tribulations that defined our ancestors’ lives. He does this by assisting clients with breaking down their genealogical brick walls and by helping them document the rich stories of their family history. His areas of expertise include research in the American Midwest along with the immigration to the Midwest from Britain, Ireland, and Germanic countries. He also does significant research into Revolutionary War and Civil War records. He has an undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois and a graduate degree from Northwestern University. With over 30 years of family history research experience, he is familiar with all the latest and time-tested genealogical tools. Through his company Ancestral Past, he welcomes the opportunity to assist others on their genealogy journey. He has presented to dozens of genealogical societies, history centers, and libraries. He is a member of the Association of Professional Genealogists.
Learning About Castle Garden 
Eric Ott, a park ranger with Castle Garden Emigrant Depot in Battery Park New York City, has recorded a 45-minute program.  In it, he discusses the history of Castle Garden, the immigrant experiences there, and records of interest for those whose ancestors entered the U.S. in New York City before Ellis Island.  

Watch the recording here...
Handout (thanks to Sue Ennis) Click to open, view and download the program handout...
Click to view our November program, presented by Susan Ennis....

Click to open, view and download the program handout...
2026 Tech Tips and Websites
GeneaBreak # 1
Wed., January 14, 2026
Watch the recording here...
Search Tips
Google.com and Ancestry.com

 2025

GeneaBreak
Wed., December 10, 2025
Book: Family Tree Guide to Finding Your Ellis Island Ancestors: A Genealogist's Essential Guide to Navigating the Ellis Island Database and Passenger Arrival List, by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack.
Website: One-Step Webpages, by Stephen P. Morse. https://stevemorse.org
Watch the recording here...
Bonus Handout...2025 GeneaBreak books and websites, January-December 2025
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Note: Our Zoom Account doesn't allow for long-term storage of videos but the handouts and weblinks are terrific resources.
GeneaBreak
Wed., November 12, 2025 (no handout)
Book: The Family Tree Historical Maps Book: Europe, A Country-by-Country Atlas of European History, 1700s-1900s, by Allison Dolan. published 2015. Find it on Amazon (ebook) Check local libraries.
Map Websites: The Library of Congress  
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GeneaBreak
Wed., October 8, 2025 (no handout)
Book: Generation by Generation: A Modern Approach to the Basics of Genealogy, by Drew Smith
Website: The Genealogy Guys Podcast and Genealogy Connection
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GeneaBreak
Wed., September 10, 2025 (no handout) Program begins at 18:00 minutes
Book: Guide to Genealogical Writing: How to Write and Publish Your Family History, by Penelope L. Stratton and Henry Bl Hoff, CG
Look for updated book published 06 January 2023. E-Book only New England Historic Genealogical Society, 
Explore these great Websites:
Free content from American Ancestors

Midwest Genealogy Center 

Free Library of Philadelphia

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GeneaBreak
Wed., August 13, 2025 (no handout)
Book: Arcadia Books - Images of America, focusing on Cranberry Township by Kate Guerriero Benz
Websites: FamilySearch Research Wiki (Butler County) and the Wikipedia page for Cranberry Township
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GeneaBreak
Wed., July 16, 2025
Book: How to Archive Family Keepsakes, Denise May Levenick (Family Tree Books)
Website: Find DNA Matches You Need / The Leftover Strategy
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GeneaBreak
Wed., June 11, 2025 (no handout)
Book: Land and Property Research in the United States, by E. Wade Hone (available through Butler Co. libraries)
Website: United States Bureau of Land Management
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Using Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Your Research

AI Special Interest Group
July 30, 2025 Discussion on Zoom...

Handouts
Why Use GPT for Genealogy
Jul 30 AI Handout
AI Prompt Examples

AI Special Interest Group
June 18, 2025. program and discussion.

Betty's handout for June 18

​Learn how club member Betty Steup used AI and many other readily available tools to create an amazing book about her ancestor's military service.  Handout...

Presentation files. There are 5 beautifully detailed files. Best viewed in MS Office Powerpoint, or opened into Google Slides.

01 AI Presentation Introduction

02 AI Presentation AI with Photos

03 AI Presentation Audio

04 AI Presentation Writing-Transcribing docs

05 AI Presentation AI in Graphics-Additional Ideas
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Member Bonus
​View Harry Karatassos' presentations from 2025 February, March and April.
​In each presentation Harry focuses on a new or different feature of FamilySearch.
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​GeneaBreaks 2024

Our Zoom Cloud video storage is limited, and the 2024 recordings have expired. However, you will find lots of helpful information in the handouts!
City Directories offer a wealth of information! See below for potential content - you might find a gold mine of information!

​City Directories handout
Source: Family Search
Potential Content
  • An alphabetical listing of inhabitants (arranged by name, address, and occupation).
  • A street address listing (arranged by address, name, and occupation).
  • Widows, working women, and adult children at home.
  • Ward maps.
  • Street locator, including cross streets.
  • Street name changes.
  • Removals (sometimes destinations!).
  • Businesses (and index to advertisers).
  • Addresses and maps of churches, schools, funeral homes, cemeteries, post offices, courts, hospitals, benevolent associations, newspapers and often the names of persons associated with those entities.
  • Many early directories listed only businesspeople.
  • Some directories list wife in parenthesis.
  • Whether a woman is a widow (including name of husband).
  • List of marriages and deaths of previous year.
  • Death date of recently deceased person who had been listed in a prior directory.
  • Date that was used to create the directory (which may help pinpoint the time of year an ancestor may have arrived in a place)
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A sincere thank you to the Mt. Lebanon Genealogy Society and Dennis P. Wodzinski for allowing us to share a summary of his recent presentation.

Dennis P. Wodzinski is the Director of Archives and Records Center for the Catholic Diocese of Pittsburgh. 
  • The purpose of the Archives and Records Center is to establish an archival and records management program for central diocesan administration, parishes, schools and all other diocesan related institutions and organizations.  
  • We collect, maintain, and preserve the records of organizations and institutions engaged in the work of the Catholic Church in the six Southwestern Pennsylvania counties (Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Greene, Lawrence, and Washington) included in the Diocese. We make this information available to diocesan officials, the Catholic community, historians, and other researchers. 
  • The archives contain most Baptismal, Confirmation, First Communion, marriage, and death records over 70 years old from parishes in the Diocese of Pittsburgh. 
  • We also have orphanage records. 
  • We can do genealogical research in records between 70 and 100 years old if we receive proof of death of the individual(s) named in the record. We can do genealogical research in records over 100 years old without proof of death. All records less than 70 years old are closed to genealogical research, except death records which are unrestricted. Records related to adoptions are further restricted by Pennsylvania state law 23 Pa.C.S. 2905. 
  • NOTE: We do not have cemetery records. The death register lists cause of death, cemetery plot, birth date, age, and next of kin. You can contact the Archives and Records Center if you have questions.

General Information on Searching for Your Catholic Ancestors
 Parish sacramental records can be a valuable source of information to genealogists. This site explains the type of sacramental records that are maintained by the Archives, the information to be found in those records, the rules for their use and the research fees charged by the Archives. Please be sure to read this information carefully. The public can not handle church records due to the fragility of the books and privacy issues. The public and make an appointment to look at parish and school histories.

The Archives contains all sacramental records older than 70 years beginning in 1808 for parishes in the following counties of Pennsylvania: Allegheny, Beaver, Butler, Greene, Lawrence and Washington. Researchers seeking information in those counties prior to 1808 should contact: Diocese of Greensburg, 723 E. Pittsburgh St. Greensburg, PA 15601.
Tel: (724) 837-0901   Fax: (724) 837-0857
www.dioceseofgreensburg.org

In addition to genealogical research, the Archives and Records Center has many resources on the history of the Diocese of Pittsburgh. Those researchers interested in historical facts can find much information from photographs to official documents.
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For more information on historical research or sacramental records, please call (412) 456-3158 or email [email protected].  

Visit on the web: https://diopitt.org/archives  On this website, you can find out which parishes for which the center has sacramental records. The center also has records for schools and orphanages.  You can find information about other dioceses in Pennsylvania.
https://diopitt.org/sacramental-record-request

You can request your own sacramental records for free by just contacting the center. https://diopitt.org/genealogy

For genealogical research, find information about fees for Genealogical Research, rules for Access to the Sacramental Records, Available Genealogical Information, Request for Research Forms, Requesting Copies of the Register Entries. 

The center will provide you with a transcription of the record. The transcription will be in English but the names will be in Latin as they appear on the record. The Latin name can correspond to more than one name in English. For Example, “Jacobus” in Latin could be Jim or Jacob in English. You can enter the Latin name in a search to find the equivalent names in English. You can also request an image. The image will be as it appears in the records book. The record may be in Latin and handwritten. The amount of information recorded varies depending on the pastor who was keeping the records. This link provides information about current and previous parishes:
https://diopitt.org/alphabetical-list-of-current-and-predecessor-parishes
Marriage Records
Among commonly used record collections for genealogists are the vital records known as BMD or birth, marriage, and death records. The spotlight for this month is shining upon marriage records. Paperwork associated with the marriages of our ancestors will vary among states, counties, and countries.  Marriage Records handout
Birth and Baptismal Records
The Zoom recording of this session has expired; however, you will find lots of helpful information in the handout!
Vital records consist mainly of birth, marriage, and death records. A great fact about these types of records is how multiple generations are listed within the record. When it comes to birth records, most countries require civil registration with either a birth certificate or a birth registration. For example, in Pennsylvania, birth certificates were first used in 1906; however, at the county or city level, birth registrations were used much earlier, primarily from 1893 - 1905. Birth and Baptismal Records handout
Census Records  Census handout
Do I Have to Go? ​Navigating the PA State Archives Catalog and Digital Collections  State Archives program handout
Updated: 17 November 2025
Updated 25 November 2025